Through The Mirror, What Do You See?
by Foopuff
Summary: Different realities. I never believed in them, and sure as hell didn’t actually think I could be a hero. Kacchan took care of that. But within the past few days, I found someone who said they were real. Now I’m curious as to how things could’ve been... It’s quite interesting, really. *Warning, V!Deku curses like a sailor.* Tododeku? Maybe. Villain!Deku, Hero!Deku, AU!Deku?
1. Laugh Without Humor

_Different realities._

_It's always been a concept that everyone has considered at least once in their lifetime. There are always constant questions like, 'what if' and 'would I be different?' _

_The answer is yes. The 'what if's' matter, and because of those 'what if's', it changes who you are- or would be- as a person. It could be as small as not remembering to pick up milk at the store, or as large as a slime villain killing your only childhood friend before your eyes. What path would you be led down then?_

_It's quite interesting, really._

_IIIIIIIIIIIII_

"..._doriya. _Midoriya. DEKU."

I jolt from my muttering (gosh, _again?_) and look up at the boy who growled my name with dripping acid. Todoroki's standing right in front of my desk, his face mere inches from mine. He was right where Kacchan should've been... He frowns when he gets my attention. "Do I really have to impersonate Bakugo just to get you to pack up?" I glance at the clock on the wall and notice that class has been over for the past ten minutes. There are a few stragglers here and there, but my closest friend is waiting up on me, packed and ready to go.

"Oh! Sorry!"

I feel my face heat up in embarrassment as I hurriedly shove everything I need in my yellow backpack, and mentally go through all my homework assignments for tonight. Tomorrow's Friday, and I'm honestly glad that the weekend's almost here.

With my backpack fully slung over my shoulders, I'm ready to walk to UA's dorms with Shoto Todoroki.

"Midoriya."

As we walk towards our dormitory, I turn my head to look at him. Shoto has long bangs that split their red and white duality perfectly down the middle, and a burn scar on the left side of his face, stretching from his red brow to the top of his cheek. He also has beautiful turquoise and grey heterochromatic eyes. _Not_\- *ahem* that I would say that out loud.

I give him a questioning look, and say, "Yeah, Todoroki?" He looks away as he murmurs hesitantly,

"What do you say when All Might doesn't get any sleep?"

"Umm..."

"He was pulling an _All-Mighter._" He said straight-faced.

I stare at him for a long moment, then I snort. Which leads to cackling. And not being able to breathe. "_Why?_" I gasp between breaths, because _WOW, that was terrible, _but _TODOROKI told a JOKE. And it wasn't even that funny!!_

He shrugged. "I thought people enjoyed jokes. It seemed like a good way to break silences." He paused, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, _I _thought it was good anyways, and I wanted to share it with you."

I smile brightly, and Todoroki looks away quickly, gently smiling with a slight pink dusting his cheeks.

We see Uraraka and Iida already waiting in the common area with their homework laid out, and I wave enthusiastically to them, one hand still on my backpack strap. They both light up and wave back, and I nudge Todoroki to give a reluctant wave. It's not that he doesn't like them; he just needs help with social cues sometimes.

As we all sit down, and joke, and laugh, I feel warm inside. I grin as Todoroki tells the same joke to Uraraka and Iida (with the same expression, I might add), and I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

_IIIIIIIIIIIII_

_"So your quirk can see into... alternate realities?"_

_I say in disbelief. _

_The shady man sitting before me tuts and wags a finger behind him as he digs for something. "Mr. Dekimasen, is this REALLY the most unusual quirk you've seen?"_

_"Hmm... fine" I'll have to add this to my notebook later. I inspect my grime flecked gloves and mentally sigh in annoyance. Just more fucking laundry. "Continue. And seriously, call me Deku for short." I growl, "And hurry up. You're trying my patience."_

_As my fingers twitch and I ponder the rewards of stabbing this guy until he no longer has the chance to say my name, he shows me a mirror. I glance at him over it, unimpressed. "This is a mirror, Unmei." He chuckles and says, "Look closer, Mr. Dekimasen." I pointedly ignore my full "villain name" and lean closer to the mirror. Wait, is that... _

_"Holy shit." I mutter. The other 'me' doesn't have bags under his eyes, and was currently brushing his teeth. He looked so... _happy.

_"So, why are you here, Mr. Dekimasen? Any... regrets, perhaps?"_

_"...Not really. I just wanted to see Mom again." And maybe get to explain to her why I had to leave. _They_ can't reach her in another reality, can they?_

_"Well, have fun! You get one week. If you don't remember to stand in front of the same mirror you came out of before time runs out, I'm afraid you'll be stuck there. Forever. Happy travels!" He hums cheerfully._

_My eyes widen as they fully register his words. "Wait, WHAT-" but he shoves my head against the unforgiving glass and it shatters and I remember no more._

_IIIIIIIIIIIIII_

I pick up my toothbrush and jog towards the boy's bathroom. I'm really cutting it close on bedtime, but I was reluctant to leave my friends so soon...

I hum cheerfully as I slick the toothpaste onto my toothbrush and begin my task. I think of Todoroki's awkwardly delivered puns and smile wider. He _has_ to show me the website he found those on-

I blink. My reflection isn't moving the way it should. In fact, I don't remember still having the dark bruises under my eyes from the old days... And my reflection isn't holding a toothbrush. I squint, and lean forward a little more, and realize that my reflection is talking to someone beyond the mirror. 'My' eyes look panicked and I see a hand come out of nowhere and shove his face into the glass. There's a loud crack, and before I know it, _another me_ is lying on the bathroom floor, unconscious.

_IIIIIIIIII_

_Fuck. My head hurts. I move a little, and hear the soft crunching of broken glass. I groan, as I try to remember how I got here. Did Todoroki throw me through another window? Nah, he's gotten better about that... Shit Hats and Fucking Potatoes- _

_I crack an eye open, and _

_FUCK-_

_I see _the other Izuku Midoriya_ crouched in front of me, toothpaste foam still around his mouth. His eyes are wide with surprise and... damn it, concern. I grumble, "Don't look at me like that," and slowly push myself up. The exposed shoulders of my costume burn with little cuts._

_He blinks. I stand up to my full height, (which is HIS full height too, now that I think about it) and look him up and down. "So, you're a hero, huh?" The other- you know what, let's call him Izuku- nods slowly and looks at me with confusion. "You say that like you aren't one..." He trails off, and I smile. I practiced it so that it isn't pleasant anymore, and he takes a small step back. I can see the dawning horror on his face. Good."You got it, kiddo." I point a finger gun at him, and say, "In my reality, they call me Dekimasen." Izuku's eyes fly open in shock, and I laugh without humor. I pull the trigger. "And I'm the world's greatest villain."_

_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

**[Author's note: "Dekimasen" (できません) in Japanese means "I can't." According to google translate, anyways. And "Unmei" (うんめい) supposedly means "fate."**

**Well, here's the first chapter of this. I had this idea at like four in the morning, and wanted to actually write it. I was like "that would be cool if-" and realized I COULD DO IT! It might not be executed perfectly, but I can get the idea out there. There was this picture of a villain Deku I saw a while back, where he still had his green suit, but it WASN'T- it didn't have sleeves, and his mouthgard looked different, too. It also had Todoroki in it, and from the context I _think_ Deku was brainwashed or something? The speech bubbles were in Spanish, so I don't know if I could read the fic... Anyways, I thought his costume looked really cool. Can't find the fic it belongs to, though. Damn.**

** Well, if you liked my story so far, or wanna speculate on what happens next, or help me with any writing issues you saw, leave a review! Until next time,**

**Foopuff]**


	2. At a Loss for Words

I can't breathe.

_"In my reality, they call me Dekimasen. And I'm the world's greatest villain."_

A crushing terror is screaming through my mind, and my breathing comes in shallow pants. This isn't possible. I have dreamed of being a hero for as long as I can remember. _What could've changed that made me give up?_

I stumble backwards and fall, imbedding broken glass into my palms. I see.. _um, lets call him Deku to minimize confusion_\- Deku observe my reaction, then look down and sigh. He runs a grime-flecked glove through his hair and glances at me apologetically. "Too dramatic?" Before I could answer, he grumbles, "Yeah, I thought so too."

Deku looks at me expectantly. I stare up dumbly at him. He clicks his tongue disappointedly. "Damn. I thought you might've had more questions, eh?"

My jaw was finally able to move a little, and I manage to whimper, "H-_how?_"

He smirks. "How did I know you'd have questions? Cuz I'm you, dumbass." That's not what I meant, and he knows it. I forget about my fear as I scowl. "You know you just called _yourself _a dumbass, right?"

Deku rolls his eyes as I slowly stand up and try to brush myself off, ignoring the stinging in my palms.

"Why are you here, anyways? Don't you have more important stuff to be doing in your reality? Or are you just here to make _my_ reality harder?"

He snorts, and says, "Don't fucking flatter yourself. I'm only-" We both whirl around when we hear the door to the bathroom rattle, eyes wide in identical panic.

"Midoriya, are you alright in there? You've been in there for quite some time." Iida. Before I could do anything, though, Deku slaps his hand over my mouth and calls back with a weak voice, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think I may have eaten something bad, though. Geez, this is embarrassing... Ah, I'll see you tomorrow!"

We can hear him chuckle. "Well, good night Midoriya. Are you sure you don't need help with anything?"

"N-no! Good night!"

And, just like that, he's gone. Deku removes his gloved hand from my mouth and I sigh in relief. I glance around, and say in a whisper, "We can't stay here. We'll talk in my room, though."

Deku just nods, and I move to open the bathroom door, looking left and right. How do I move a second 'me' without anyone else noticing? "I have an idea." Evil me looks at me inquisitively. I smile mischievously. "You may not like it, though."

_IIIIIIII_

_'May not like it' my ass._

_"This may be _the_ stupidest thing I have ever done. Ever. In my entire life."_

_"Just shut up and walk quickly."_

_I grumble in defeat as I finger the toilet paper wrapping my face. That's right, toilet paper. I feel fucking ridiculous. Izuku's baggy jacket is hanging loosely off my frame, covering the most of my costume. "What're we gonna say when someone sees me?"_

_"Well, it's pretty late, so hopefully everyone's either in their rooms or half-awake in the commons. If we _do_ run into someone, however, then-"_

_"Then what, Midoriya?"_

_We both jump, and turn around to see Todoroki standing behind us in a light blue T-shirt and navy shorts. He looks at Izuku, expecting an explanation. Izuku fidgets with his hands as he stutters,_

_"T-Todoroki! Um, I was going to introduce you to my cousin... Deki."_

_He raises a dual-toned eyebrow. I just stare, for once at a loss for words. "You have a cousin? Huh."_

_Todoroki turns to me and curtly bows. "My name's Todoroki Shoto, nice to meet you."_

_I hurriedly do the same. "Likewise."_

_He leans closer to get a better look at me. "Well, _Midoriya_, why are you here?" Todoroki pauses, then adds, "And why are you covered in toilet paper? I'm not missing anything, am I?" He asks in Izuku's direction. The bastard laughs, and says, "It's probably a weird phase he's going through."_

_I want to die._

_Or kill him. (Which, technically, is myself? Ugh.)_

_"Izuku, I'm tired. Can we go to sleep now?" I say (hopefully without an edge in my voice) as I roughly yank his sleeve, causing him to move. "Okay, okay, fine. Good night, Todoroki!"_

_"Good... night..."_

_I glance back to see his confused stare concentrated on me. I smile and wink, and then we turn the corner and he's gone._

_wwwwww_

_We walk in silence, the only sounds coming from our footsteps on the tiled floor._

_"Have you ever met Todoroki before? Like, in your reality?" Izuku asks suddenly._

_I pause for a beat, then sigh. "No," I lie._

_"Don't pretend. You were mortified when he saw you like that. Almost as if you wanted to make a good impression..."_

_I respond with a noncommittal grunt._

_"Was he... an enemy?"_

_"No."_

_"A... villain, then?" Nope._

_"I'm not talking about this. End of discussion."_

_He looks like he wants to say more, but blinks in surprise as he comes upon his door. Izuku pulls out a key and opens it. I run in and flop on the bottom half of the bed. "Talk tomorrow. Sleep now." I hear him quietly laugh as he closes the door and sinks onto the bed next to me. I furiously rip off the toilet paper that wrapped around my head like I was a fucking mummy, and groan when I realize my whole body ached from getting smashed through a fucking mirror. Shit, it hurts. How did I not feel it before?_

_Izuku turns off the light, and we're plunged into darkness._

_He whispers, "Well, good night, me."_

_"Mmph."_

_Shifting to a more comfortable position, I finally drift away into the realm of sleep._

_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

I wake up to the sound of my All Might alarm, and turn over with a groan. Then I feel a jolt of terror when I notice someone else in my bed. Memories flash through my brain as I try and remember what the _hell_ happened last night. Okay, evil me is here; okay, the toilet paper is still on the floor; and he _bled all over my bed_. I look at him worriedly, but he seems fine. Well, I was due to get new sheets anyways.

I quietly slide off my bed and change into my uniform. Thank God today's Friday. After school we can ask one of the Pros what we should do. Or, you know, apparently do whatever Deku was planning. That'll keep me pretty busy.

I sigh, realizing that I won't be able to spend time with Todoroki this weekend. I'll text him and say something came up. Should I tell him about the 'other me?' I ponder the pros and cons of the revelation as I struggle with my tie, before finally giving up on it.

I'll just tell him when it comes up. Who knows, maybe he forgot about it already.

I unlock the door and look behind me one last time. Deku was still knocked out on the bed, a little drool escaping his agape mouth, and I smile softly.

_What the hell are we going to do about you?_

Before the door clicks behind me, I see him stir. I can only pray he behaves as I go to class.

_IIIIIIIIIIIIII_

**_[Heeeey, how are ya? Well, here's another chapter of this! I'm really thankful to the people who marked my story so far, and Torislovesyou, thank you for the kind words- I really appreciate it!! I have a few things in mind, and hopefully we'll get to the more action-ey stuff later, and... yep. So, ok, 'Izuku' is referring to Hero Midoriya, and 'Deku' is referring to Villain Midoriya. If that was a tad confusing. That's about it, if you have any questions you can either leave a review or PM me. Cheers dear reader!_**

**_-Foopuff]_**


	3. You Poor Soul

_I crack an eye open._

_Once I find that I'm alone in the room, I sit up with a groan and look around. All Might everywhere. Through my sleep-fogged brain, I shake my head in disbelief at my inner fanboy's approval._

_I decide I need a change of clothes, because the costume I'm wearing now isn't exactly gonna make me blend in. I walk to Izuku's closet and open it. I choose a white shirt that says "plaid shirt" on it, and some shorts. The glass in my back from the previous night seems to have vanished, almost as if nothing had happened at all. Well, except for the dull ache and itching that reminded me of how I got here. I slowly start changing, the aching in my abused arms and back almost unbearable. I carefully fold my costume and set it on the foot of the bed, trying not to disturb the various weapons stored within._

_I walk over to the window and look out of it. The premises and city beyond seem to stare back as homesickness washes over me. I shouldn't be here. I should be back on the streets keeping my villains in line and gathering more intel. Or at Our Secret Place, playing a rigged game of cards with Shoto right now. Maybe just talking to him. Is he wondering where I am now?_

_ I miss him. It hits me like a slap._

_I scold myself. Don't get sidetracked. Well, how was I supposed to know the bastard would shove me through a fucking hand mirror?_

_Taking my shoes with me out the door, I finally decide on what I'm going to do. Mom's still living where we used to, right? Guess it's time to find out..._

_My arm snaps out to stop the door from closing. Wait. Wouldn't it be suspicious if there were two Midoriyas walking around? I don't even know if Izuku __wants people to know I'm here. __I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try and figure out how the hell I can do what I came here to and not end up on the wrong side of an interrogation table. Can I just use a hood? Sure, but Izuku might freak out when I'm gone and grab a Pro to track me down. Or try and find me himself. Added to that, Mom would wonder why I'm (or... he's??) at home during school hours, and get suspicious._

_Damn. This'll be harder than I thought. With an annoyed sigh, I roughly yank his door back open and throw my shoes on the floor in frustration. So... what? Does that mean I'm stuck here until he comes back? _

_Fuck that. I may not be able to see Mom right now, but that doesn't mean I have to stay trapped here, twiddling my damn thumbs. Nah, no chance. I open his closet again and run my hand over his few tacky shirts. My eyes light up as I find what I'm looking for and pull out a green hoodie. Slipping it on, I grab my costume's mouth guard and one of my pistol holsters. I hide my gun underneath the oversized hoodie, and make sure my mouth guard's secured firmly in place. After a moment of thought, I also stuff an extra magazine in my pocket, just in case. I hurriedly scribble a note explaining that I'll be right back, and leave it on his nightstand. _

_Finally, I'm at the door again, and I frown as I close it behind me and pull up my hood. I'll just... walk around a few blocks. It'll help familiarize me with this not-so-different environment, and I'll be able to find a few escape routes in case things don't work out. _

_Damn, it would probably be a lot easier if I had a quirk._

_wwww_

_I sneak my way out of UA and into the streets. As I left, I made sure to notice all the security precautions this school has. And let me tell you, the amount of it is fucking insane. There are motion sensors on the outside walls, pressure plates on the ground around the perimeter of the school, minus the main entrance- which is protected by an ID scanner that, from my approximations, only allows the staff, students, and certain guests onto the premises. In addition to security camera surveillance. It's gonna be one hell of an effort to get back onto campus, but I'll be able to maneuver past them somehow. If all else fails, I can just wait by the entrance until Izuku comes looking for me. I said I'd be back around 3 in my note, but hopefully I can get back before then so I won't have to explain anything._

_As I mull over everything that could go wrong with my little excursion, I look around the sector and sigh in relief. The layout seems to be the same, and there are only a few shops I don't recognize. Stupid and mundane as it sounds, I do a bit of window shopping to kill time. _

_I was looking at a cool pair of All Might socks when someone shoves past me in a rush. I hear a shop owner shouting frantically behind me as I whip around and see a flurry of spider legs turn around a corner. I decide to run after the villain, and after another turn, he finally notices my pursuit. "SpiderLegs" (name I just made up, pretty self-explanatory) turns down an alley in an attempt to lose me in the maze. He doesn't get far. I pull out my pistol and shoot at his back, but he deftly moves to the side with his quirk. Instead, it grazes one of the razor sharp spider legs protruding from his back. The culprit cries out before continuing in his run through the back alleys. But now I've got a blood trail to follow, along with his noisy frantic scuttling. _

_The alley was dark, and I was so focused on chasing him that I almost missed when the scuttling abruptly stopped and the trail ended. I skidded to a halt, and turned on instinct. SpiderLegs sprang out from behind a dumpster and swiped at me with two more of his spider legs, while his regular form hung back._

_I tried to dodge, but I wasn't fast enough. It struck sparks as it swiped across my mouth guard, and ripped Izuku's hood away from my face. He wound up for another attack aimed across my chest. Instead of trying to dodge again, though, I lunge towards him, catching him off-balance. I kick out at his left leg as I grab behind his neck and flip him. He lands heavily on his back, and the extensions around him flinch. Taking the second I managed to buy, I pull out my pistol again and pull the trigger._

_Another shot rings out through the alley, and I try and guess the time it'll take before either police or a Pro Hero'll come to investigate the noise. I turn my attention back to the man laying a few feet away from me, clutching his injury near his shoulder as he breathes shallowly and with a small amount of fear in his numerous watchful eyes. I take my time walking towards him, savoring the crunch my shoes made to increase the anticipation. I see him struggle with his instinct to flee, or survive as he eyes the gun still in my hand. Yanking my hood back up, I crouch in front of his prostrate form and lift his chin with one hand. I tut and shake my head. I feel my eyes take on the manic glee that should be present in my persona, and I look down on him. I chide,_

_"Now, now, you know better than to do that in _my _city."_

_He chokes, "Who the hell are you?"_

_I chuckle, and reply brightly, "Dekimasen, nice to meet 'cha! You'll only find people like me in nightmares. Oh, and is that blood on your clothes? I didn't even hit you there! You poor soul_._" Damn. He must've hurt a civilian when he robbed the shop._

_He abandons his bag of goods as tries to use his good arm and unusually weak legs to try and scoot away from me. Only to find that his pitiful retreat was stopped by a solid brick wall. Poor lad, he's trembling. His extra appendages are still useless, as he seemed to have landed on an extremely sensitive pressure point. I can't believe my luck. The culprit stares at me as I walk a few steps forward and resume my position down next to him. SpiderLegs yelps when I grab his bad shoulder, digging my thumb deeper into the wound. I say with false compassion, "I hit a bad spot, didn't I? Don't worry, ya big baby, I didn't shoot anything too vital. If the police find you in time, you'll be all patched up for prison."_

_"Fuck you." He spits on my face._

_I fall silent as I wipe the spit from my eye, then slowly I stand up. "Hm." I say dispassionately, and nonchalantly I shrug, "Your choice, then." His face screws up as he struggles to regain feeling in his arachnid extensions. To try and fight again, or escape, who cares. I step far enough away, and without hesitation I pull the trigger a second time. The shot rings out through the alley, and then everything goes silent for a final time._

...

_I sigh as SpiderLegs breaks the peace with his frantic gasping. I roll my eyes, and say, "Oh c'mon__, I didn't even shoot you this time!"_

_"You're fucking insane!"_

_I look at him like he's dense. "Who said I wasn't?" Glaring at nothing in particular, I take off my shoe and pull some binder's coils from the toe cavity. Replacing my shoe, I say vehemently, "I should have killed you, but I didn't. You know why?" I tilt my head, pausing expectantly for an answer. None came._

_I crouch over him and jerk his hands towards me to restrain them. Then I repeat the ritual with the base of his legs on his back. "Because my mother wouldn't approve." I decide against using the last of my wrap to fasten his legs, because he isn't running anywhere on those underused twigs. I had his last two spindly legs in my hands when an idea made me pause. "But... hopefully she won't mind a little fun, right?"_

_Suddenly, I grab near the base of it with both hands and and mercilessly snap it like a stick. Blood sprays as I break it in a few more places and he screams some more. I grit my teeth and move on to the next one, crisp _cracks _followed by futile spasming. I whisper in his ear, "Now, wasn't that fun?" The deed done, I stand up and brush myself off, looking disdainfully at the blood stains on my clothes. Shit. I guess I'll have to buy Izuku a new hoodie._

_I frown thoughtfully, fingering the new long groove on my metal mouth guard. "Think of this as a future deterrent. Try something like this again, and I'm coming for your other ones. Understood?"_

_I don't wait for a reply as I manage to slip behind the corner. A few moments later I hear footsteps and shouting._

_"Death Arms, I thought I heard a gunshot from over here-"_

_"I heard it too, Kamui, but I don't see anyth- ACK!"_

_I take that as my cue to leave._

_..._

_Once far enough away, I'm violently sick in a trash can._

_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

I yawn, rubbing my face with one hand as Mr. Aizawa lectures about the Revised Hero Laws of 20XX, that "influenced the guidelines we follow today. If it weren't for the convenient loopholes for 'quirk marriages,' this system of government would have been able to uphold society in the present." I listen half-heartedly and take notes here and there, as I hope to God my double isn't getting into any trouble.

He finishes his lecture and class ends for the day. Everyone stirs and some people stand up stiffly to stretch. Others pack up their things and chat idly with the person next to them.

"God, that was a long class. I could barely keep my eyes open." Kaminari rubs his face in exhaustion. Ashido and Jirou nod their heads to his statement, looking asleep on their feet. The dull hum of conversation slowly grows thinner and thinner as my classmates leave, until only a handful of us are left.

Todoroki, Uraraka and Iida are talking by a desk as Tsu, Yayorozu and Hagakure make plans for a sleepover, already drifting towards the exit. Todoroki sneaks a glance towards me, then excuses himself as he makes his way to my desk.

"Aren't you going to pack up?"

"Well, um, I have to talk to Mr. Aizawa about something."

He blinks, and for a moment I'm afraid he's going to ask about my 'something.'

Instead, he says, "Okay. Do you want us to wait up?"

Inwardly I sigh in relief (_and maybe disappointment_) as I smile gratefully, and reply, "Thanks for the offer, but I don't know how long it'll take. You guys can go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

He nods in understanding and walks to our group by the door, explaining in a low voice that I'll see them later. And with that, they leave. I gulp as I grab my backpack and approach my teacher. He was napping in his sleeping bag, and he cracks an eye open when I got close to his desk.

"What is it, Midoriya?"

"Mr. Aizawa, sir, I think I... I _may_ have a stumbled upon a problem."

He releases a long-suffering sigh, and says, "What did you do this time?"

_IIIIIIIIIIIII_

_**[WOW this took a long time to write. I just kept revising and rewriting, and procrastinating, so... yeah. There were at least three different drafts where this chapter was concerned. Hope you enjoyed it, and to make up for it— I'll try to post another chapter within the next week or so. Exciting? Woop! Unfortunately that also means it'll be something to try and make up for the fact it'll take a while for the one after that... Maybe. I have no idea.**_

_**To Guest and HarryPotterAnimeNerd: thanks for the supporting words!! It really means a lot to me. To everyone who decided to stick around: The next chapter'll be posted in a *snap*. (Get it? Cuz Deku... just snapped off... *ahem* you probably get it.) (This pun might fail if I don't post within my self-appointed deadline). If ya feel like talking to me you can either PM me or leave a review if you want! Any predictions, writing errors you saw, or fun theories about this story as more and more get revealed. I'm up for it! **_

_**Ok, have a good day/evening/night? Agh.**_

_**See you around!**_

_**-Foopuff]**_


	4. A Bad Idea

"Is this about the extra Izuku you currently have stashed in your room?"

My mind goes blank as whatever words I had planned to say crumble on my tongue.

"Wa..._WHAT?! How-"_

Mr. Aizawa tiredly waves a dismissive hand. "School sensors."

I stutter as I try and form a response to his question. He waits for a few moments, trying to judge if I'll make myself coherent anytime soon. Eventually he loses his patience, and snaps, "Spit it out, Midoriya."

I gulp, then say, "I-I wanted to ask what I should do about it, actually-"

"Simple," he interrupts, already moving back into his sleeping bag, "Introduce him to the whole class. I'm expecting him to be accompanying you on Monday for the day. I'll be sending someone over to give him an extra uniform."

"B-but _sir-"_

"If it's another version of _you, _I don't think I have that much to worry about." Mr. Aizawa closes his eyes, which serves as some weird sort of dismissal. I sigh in exasperation, and walk out the door.

_Yeah, no worries, I'm just gonna introduce my whole class to the world's greatest villain. Nothing'll go wrong AT ALL with that..._

Seeing that the hallway ahead of me was empty, I start jogging, thinking I could maybe catch up with my friends.

I turn a corner and abruptly slam into someone.

There's a lot of movement from under me as I squirm and apologize profusely to the person. I risk a glance at their face, and my eyes locked with heterochromatic grey and blue ones. My heart lurches as the words I had in mind died on my lips, leaving me a stuttering mess. I forget about moving for a moment as I stare dumbly down at him. "T-Todoroki? I thought you went to the d-dorms with the others?"

Todoroki opens his mouth to reply, but no sound comes out. He looks away quickly, and mumbles, "I wasn't in any hurry, so I thought I'd wait for you."

"Oh."

There's a beat of silence. He turns his face towards mine again.

"Um, Midoriya? You're... kinda..."

I blink as he trails off, and once I realized what he meant, jump off of him as if I'd been electrocuted. I can feel my face burning. "I'm so sorry!"

He laughs quietly, still on the floor. "Don't be. You've said it enough already to cover for another 300 of these." I huff and stick my hand out to help him up.

Todoroki gracefully takes my hand and before I know it, we're on our way out of the oversized double doors of UA and walking in the direction of our dormitory.

I'm still mulling over what Mr. Aizawa suggested. Would it really be that easy? _Really_? It sounds like a bad idea. Wasn't it a bad idea?

Why do I feel like this, though? With this society full of quirks, it would still be unusual I guess, but not too serious... I can just feel something in the back of my mind screaming that it was _bad_, but _why_?

A hand falls in my shoulder, and I jolt as I find Todoroki staring at me worriedly. "Are you okay? I've just heard the words 'bad idea' at least three times in your mumbling."

I squeak, "_I was saying all that out loud?"_

"Yeah, but I only caught bits and pieces."

We resume our pace, and there's a silence that settles in between us. After a while, I can see him frown. Todoroki breaks the silence and says hesitantly, "You know, if something's bothering you, you can tell me, right?" He looks at me sideways with those startlingly penetrating eyes of his. My heart gets stuck in my throat, and I have the sudden urge to explain everything to him, starting with the mirror.

Instead, I smile and say warmly, "Thank you, Todoroki. I'm glad to have a friend like you." His gaze searches mine, maybe trying to see if there were multiple layers to my statement. Eventually he just nods and we continue our walk, the light of the setting sun coloring the world around us a lovely orange and yellow.

Finally, UA Heights Alliance looms over us.

I start to sweat and think of all the things Deku could've done while I was gone. I make a beeline for the elevator and shout over my shoulder, "I'll be back in a second! I just have to grab something from my room, and I'll come back to the commons!" I don't wait for an answer as I break into a jog, and slam my palm on the elevator button.

_wwww_

I unlock my door and open it a crack. All the lights are off and the only sound I hear comes from the rattle of the air conditioner.

I slip in and close the door behind me.

"Deku?" I whisper. The air conditioner clunks one final time, then the room falls silent. "_Deku_." I repeat louder.

A distinct _click_ comes from my left and I whip my head around to see Deku crouching flush against the wall, retracting his switchblade. His gaze is fixed on mine as he flashes a mischievous grin. "Sorry. Old habits seem to die hard."

I open my mouth to say something, but he interrupts me by abruptly standing up and groaning loudly, stretching his arms over his head. His back arches and I can hear individual vertebrae pop.

"You didn't kill anyone while I was gone, did you?" I ask.

Deku strides towards my bed and sits down heavily on the mattress. I notice he must've changed out of his costume at some point and helped himself to my closet. He pulls out his phone and only spares one disinterested glance towards me before he starts typing.

"Oddly specific," he mutters, "But no, I don't think so."

I release the breath I didn't even know I was holding, and say, "Okay. Good, then."

Deku's eyes brighten as he briefly flashes me the contents on the screen. The top headlines from this morning. "You know, I thought my phone would get super fucked up from the dimension jump. But, lo and behold, here it is, working on a completely different server. I don't recognize half of the people in the news."

"Really? Wo-"

Deku suddenly glares at his device, and says cryptically, "I hate fucking spiders."

Then he seems to remember something as he gestured towards the end of my bed. "Oh, and by the way, I got you a new sweatshirt. The old one smelled like a skunk orgy," He says offhandedly.

I blink, then try to protest that it _didn't, _in fact, smell that bad at all when he changes the subject again and continues as if I hadn't spoken.

"So when are we going out? I got somewhere to be."

I scratch the back of my neck as I walk forward to pick up my new sweatshirt off of the edge of the bed.

I blurt, "Mr. Aizawa figured out that you're here."

Deku stops scrolling, then closes his eyes. The dark circles under his eyes seem to stand out more as he pinches the bridge of his nose, a habit we both seem to share. "Well, fuck. Who the hell is that?"

"Uh... Eraserhead."

"Ah. Of _course_ it is."

He blows out an exasperated breath and finally turns his gaze towards me, the phone in his hand forgotten. "So... What now?"

I sigh and shake my head. "He wants me to introduce you to the whole class. And he wants you to come in with me next week."

Deku snorts, then notices that I'm not laughing. He looks at me with wide eyes when it dawns on him that I'm being serious.

"Wait, _are you fucking serious_?"

I smile. "He's sending over a spare uniform."

His eyes suddenly well up with tears, and he turns to watch the view outside the window so I can't see his face. "Huh. I've always wondered what it would be like to take a class at UA," he says evenly.

There's a beat of silence, and I've already made my way back to the door when he asks quietly, "When do you plan on doing it?"

My hand halts on the handle. I think for a moment. "How does tomorrow sound? Everyone's usually up by 8."

He nods. "Fine."

"That way you can have time to think of a proper introduction, or try and freak them out or whatever you plan on doing. I'm off to finish my homework with Todoroki, Uraraka, and Iida... Are you gonna be okay here for another few hours? Want me to bring you something from the kitchen?"

He picks his phone back up and nods again. "Yeah yeah, I already know about your secret snack stash and even helped myself to a few Cheezit bags, so I'm fine for now. You have the 'all clear' to go ahead."

Deku pauses, then adds mischievously, "I'll just be here. By myself. Potentially murdering people." He punctuates the last statement by making stabbing gestures with his free hand, his gaze already reclaimed by his phone.

I can hear him softly laughing as I close the door behind me.

Smartass.

_IIIIIIIIII_

_His classmates are loud._

_I can hear them shouting and laughing clear as day in this empty fanboy's room. A few of them sound familiar, but I can't match any voices to faces... If there was a contest for who was loudest, though, the guy screaming 'SHITTY HAIR' would win the gold medal for sure. And then some._

_And soon I may just be a part of that. A hysterical laugh breaks free from me before I can stop it. So much more managed to happen to me than what I asked for. All I wanted was to see Mom, but it seems like the universe is trying to make up for my shitty life and what I turned out to be._

_Who fucking cares._

_I'm just surprised Eraserhead knows I'm here. I'm also wondering why he hasn't sent someone to come and collect me. It's strange, and leaves a weird taste in my mouth. The Eraserhead I knew wouldn't be so careless._

_I try and shake myself out of my train of thought by pulling up the search engine from earlier to try and glean more information on the heroes I'm not familiar with in this world. It seems the top heroes haven't changed too much, but the rookies seemed to have been slightly altered. I grin when I see ol' SpiderLegs getting shoved into a cop car in an article's picture, with the headline "Villain Maimed and Captured by Unknown Individual: New Hero? Or Vigilante?" I roll my eyes at the overdramatic title. 'Maim' seems a bit extreme, but whatever. Let the media have their fun._

_As I scroll through more pages and pages of useless info, another thought occurs to me: I had no idea Eraserhead taught at UA._

_I swear that crafty old bastard could be _the_ best secret keeper in the world. I'm definitely going to ask him about it when I get back to my reality._

_I flop onto my back and rest an arm over my face. I took a shower right after I snuck back here, when the dormitory was still empty. I scrubbed any excess blood off of me, and now my hair is almost dry. I sigh heavily into the quiet of the room._

_IIIIIII_

_**[Aish, it's been a while. Who knew snapping could take a whole month? Or... more? Was it more than a month? Yikes. Sorry guys. I was halfway through this, then totally SCRAPPED it and did something else. Maybe when I finish this story I'll show you the rejected scene as a bonus? Sure. It was pretty funny.**_

**_Ok, so chapter 5 is like right around the corner. I don't know if between the span of now and whenever I decide to post this if I'll scrap it and rewrite chapter 5, but I'm just letting you know AS OF NOW it's almost finished. Revision stage. So... yeah. Sorry for the wait, but I'm just unbearably slow, even for my standards. _**_**Anyways, thanks for the support so far, and for sticking around if you bother to read the author's note. Bye for now haha!**_

_**-Foopuff]**_


	5. What Fate Asked For

"And that's why..."

Iida puts the finishing touches in his biology explanation as Uraraka eagerly take notes. Todoroki and I are on our last math problems, and after this we'll have our free time.

Finally finished, I sit back with a small groan. I close my eyes and try to rest.

Well, I try to.

"OI, SHITTY HAIR! _HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO BEAT THE SAME DAMN CONCEPT INTO YOUR THICK SKULL?!_"

"I'm _sorry_, Bakugo! I still don't understand your complicated jargon yet!"

"_DUMBASS IT'S SIMPLE MULTIPLICATION—"_

I sigh and tiredly open my eyes again. Kacchan is always louder than he needs to be. I decide to pull out my phone and scroll through the newsfeed, since I ran out of things to do. Nothing new, just the same rookies vying for the narrow spotlight, the Pros capturing more bad guys, a vigilante busting a spider villain—

Wait, _what?_

I hurriedly tap on the article title, and the story fills the space of my screen, along with the picture of a villain being shoved into a cop car.

"**Villain Maimed and Captured by Unknown Individual: New Hero? Or Vigilante?**"

**Minor Villain Kumo 'SpiderLegs' Noashi has been apprehended after countless arrest evasions. Before the arrest, he was seen robbing a convenience store down in the local district and fleeing into the maze of back alleys, followed by a suspect in a green sweatshirt. When recovered, Noashi was found with severe injuries including a bullet wound to the shoulder and multiple fractures on his back protrusions, along with coils binding the villain's hands and legs. The hooded suspect was nowhere to be found.**

**Pro hero DeathArms commented that he "heard a gunshot from down the alley, but didn't get to see who made it." **

**All we could glean from Mr. Noashi was a single name: Dekimasen. Is this the name of a new rising hero? Or a vigilante who has taken things too far?**

I quickly exit out of the news app and curse under my breath. So that's what he meant when he said he hated spiders. That _asshole_. Why the hell can't Deku just stay home?! I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale forcefully. Oh, he's gonna get an earful from me when I see him again.

"Deku, are you okay?"

My head snaps up to see Uraraka looking at me with a strange expression on her face, with the others staring at me.

"Ah, yeah, just kinda tired. That's all."

She glances at me a moment longer, but seeing that I won't elaborate further, changes the subject. "Well, we finished all our work! Why don't we play a game of cards or something?"

Iida grins and says, "That's not a bad idea, Uraraka!"

Todoroki deadpans, "I will beat all of you."

I laugh at Todoroki's declaration of war, and together we all settle into a fierce game of Go Fish.

_IIIIIIII_

_It's been a few hours since I've seen Izuku, and after a while I got bored. So, I started drawing a rather detailed picture of All Might giving someone the finger in one of his notebooks when I finally hear the door open._

_I hurriedly close the notebook, and slip behind the wall again._

_The door clicks shut, and the room falls into silence. I wait for Izuku to indicate his presence._

_Instead, a grey scarf snaps out from around the corner, mere inches from my throat._

_I duck so forcefully my chin brushes the floor, and I see a figure clad in black emerge from where the scarf had been moments earlier. I grab his outstretched arm and quickly snap around, moving my feet and whipping around to throw him. He seems to know my throw, though, because he counters and quickly wraps his other arm around my neck from behind. I try to shout as he drags me forcefully to the floor. My breath leaves my lungs from the heavy impact, and I struggle to get out of his chokehold. I frantically claw at his arm and what feels like his face with both hands, but it's as if all my attempts are futile. His arm only tightens around my neck as the room grows darker from my panic and the lack of oxygen._

_In an act of desperation, I use the arm that isn't struggling to free my windpipe to hastily search the floor for the switchblade I dropped. My fingers fumble upon the handle and I hastily reach to grab it and snap it out._

_His grip immediately loosens as he hears the snap of the metal blade and barks a curse. I take advantage of his brief surprise and grab the wrist that was around my neck. I flip around, simultaneously twisting his wrist into a painful lock as I did so. I found myself straddling his chest with my blade mere inches from his fucking eye. Why shouldn't I carve him up here and now—_

_I force my composure to return as my furious eyes search his._

_Eraserhead's gaze levelly stares back._

_"Eraser," I nod at him._

_"Hello, Midoriya," he says, raising an eyebrow at me._

_Just great._

_wwww_

_"So... hell, that was a first impression," I laugh nervously as I look up at him from my perch on Izuku's bed. I pick at my fingers and look at him expectantly, waiting for a reply._

_Eraserhead doesn't move to take a seat, and crosses his arms in front of him. His tired eyes are intently trained on me, making me fidget uncomfortably. I don't like this feeling. At all._

_"What." I finally snap._

_A blink is all I get in reply as a silence settles between us._

_Well, fuck._

_"You'll be reporting to Room 32 for your first class on Monday morning. Don't be late."_

_He turns to walk back the way he came, and before I can stop myself, I shout at him in disbelief, "Wait, _what_?! You attacked me and nearly choked me out, I almost stabbed you, and NOW WE'RE TALKING AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED?!" _

_"I'm well aware of what transpired, Midoriya," he says in exasperation, barely looking back at me. "And I acknowledge the fact my ambush was a bad decision in hindsight. In the beginning, I was just trying to gauge your potential, and figured it was the fastest way. Then... well, I seem to have gotten a little carried away."_

_Are. You. FUCKING _SERIOUS_?!_

_"I set your uniform by the door. And for future reference, there are no knives allowed on the premises during school hours."_

_My gaze darkens, but I reply, "Yes, sir," knowing full well that __I'm still going to bring my knife, school rules be damned._

_He nods, then slowly makes his way to the door._

_I call out hurriedly, "Wait! You're not going to ask me about, oh, I don't know, how I got here? Or why? How do you know I'm not here to kill someone or something?"_

_He sighs heavily, hand on the doorknob, and asks, "Well, are you?"_

_"N-no, but—"_

_"Then I can just wait for the rest to come out on its own," he says flippantly. "Goodnight, Midoriya."_

_I scowl, but automatically reply, "Goodnight, sir."_

_My eyes bore holes into his back until the door closes behind him with a faint _click_. Then I release the breath I didn't know I was holding and look behind me to pick up where I left off on my All Might drawing._

_IIIIIIII_

I stifle a yawn as I trudge my way back to my room. Mr. Aizawa passes me in the hall, and silently nods at me before walking to the elevator control panel.

Weird. Who was he visiting? And what were those red marks on his cheek from?

I slide my key into the door, and slowly push it open. The soft light of my desk lamp is the first thing that greets me.

Then I hear Deku grumble from his spot on the bed, "Leave me the_ fuck alone Emo Scarf Ninja!" _And whips my notebook at me without looking up. (_Well, I guess that answers THAT question—)_

I catch it, and chuck it back at him with an irritated grunt. It hits him in the side of the face and he makes a surprised noise.

"Don't throw my shit."

His face snaps towards me and he gasps dramatically, hands over his heart, "_Izuku_! Watch your _fucking_ _language_!"

I scowl and direct the conversation to something more important. "Did Mr. Aizawa come in here? What did he talk about?"

Deku's eyes suddenly bore molten holes into the notebook laying on the bed. He mutters stiffly, "He wants me in class on Monday."

I wait for him to elaborate, but it seems like that's all he's going to say about it.

I decide to change the subject. "You know, you could've told me about SpiderLegs."

He blinks in confusion, but then his demeanor immediately changes. He snorts in amusement, "Wait, was that really his name? I fucking _called_ it!" He laughs some more.

I sigh heavily. "Please try to stay out of trouble from now on, okay?"

Deku grins (like he's silently saying_ oh, now I DEFINITELY want more trouble_) and replies, "Don't worry. I made sure no one saw my face. Or, er, _your_ face?" He shrugs and waves a hand, "Can never figure this shit out."

I stay silent and stare at Deku until he starts to fidget. I get uncomfortable when people stare at me long enough, and apparently the same goes for him.

He finally breaks. "_Fuck_— fine! I'll be on my best behavior from now on, okay? But for your information, he found _me_. I just took the opportunity fate gave me," He says, sitting back and crossing his arms petulantly.

"After you caught him, you snapped some of his arms in two. That's more than what fate asked for."

He sighs, and grumbles as he picks my notebook back up and starts flipping pages, "Just how high is that horse you're looking down from?"

_IIIIIII_

**['Kumo no ashi' means 'spider legs' in Japanese (well, google translate anyways). Original, I know. **

**HPAnimeNerd, glad I was able to help, even if it was just a little bit! Hope you stayed safe!! And I'm glad you think so, SolSun, because that's what I've been trying to go for, even tho it IS a kinda weird mix lmao.**

**Well, here's this chapter ending, cuz I thought that would be a funny note to end on. Well, not _funny, _per se, but a good way to end a chapter from my perspective. The next chapter is almost done, might just take another MONTH for the revision stage (yeesh, I'm slower than 90s internet). I actually like to have the next chapter written before I post the current one, so that may be what's affecting my speed. That and homework. Ugh. I've been trying to brainstorm specifics for this story and I'm happy to say I've actually figured a few things out and it's actually pretty fun lol. Shit should start happening in a chapter or two. Thanks for reading this long author's note (if you do) and have a great day. See ya around hopefully!!**

**—Foopuff]**


	6. Play Along with My Delusions

I tried to talk to Deku after that, but every time I attempted to start a conversation, he'd either shut it down with a one word reply or with a disinterested grunt, aggressively sketching in my notebook.

Eventually, I just gave up.

I got bored with the silence, so I started texting Todoroki weird memes to pass time. I didn't really expect him to send them _back_, though, so I somehow found myself in a full blown meme war. And, as of now, I feel like I'm losing. Deku glares at me when I snort at a cat with an oversized hat, but I don't care.

Finally, I run out of memes to spam him with, so I admit my defeat and tell him good night. He replies with clown meme with 'sweet dreams' in big bold letters, and I grin at the screen one final time.

I reluctantly turn off my phone and turn to the mute potato next to me. I ask, "So... what time do you usually go to sleep?"

Deku blinks, then looks up from his hard work. He squints at me like I'm stupid, and gestures to his face. "Does it _look_ like I can afford a regular sleep routine?"

Oh wow. That's more than I've heard him say in the past hour. I guess he's very touchy about his sleep schedule. Or... maybe he finally wants to talk to me?

"If you don't sleep that often, do you always have like takeout or something?"

He grins secretively, and mumbles, "Yeah... or something."

I glance towards the ceiling and offhandedly comment, "That doesn't sound very healthy."

He makes a noise. "Nothing about my life is healthy, Izuku."

I decide it was a good time to slip in a question I've been curious about for a while. "Not even your relationships?"

He pauses for a second, then blows out a breath. Deku closes the notebook and flops backwards onto the bed. His arm moves to cover his eyes, and for a second I think that he would ignore my question.

But then I hear his quiet voice answer from his exasperated display. "..._Especially _my relationships." He pauses, then sits up and says, "You know I haven't seen Mom in years? I miss her smile... her laugh... her worry for me, and... well, I just miss _her. _All I want to do is talk to Mom again, at least one more time."

I try to process the fact that he actually gave me some information about his life. "Wait, why can't you see Mom?"

Deku stares at me quietly until it clicks. "Ah, right. You don't want to put her in danger."

He nods, then runs a hand through his hair. I slowly ask, "But... don't you at least have friends or something that you work with?"

Deku's voice suddenly takes on a sharp edge. "If I trusted anyone else to do my job again, I'd deserve to be dead and my body never found."

Wait...

He said _again._

Before I could ask further, he shifts and glances at me with those calculating eyes of his. Deku changes the subject. "Am I sleeping on your bed again, or do I get somewhere else?"

I wince sarcastically, and say, "Ouch. Am I that boring?"

He rolls his eyes, and sighs. "I woke up and thought there was an earthquake this morning. Then I found out it was just _you _snoring_."_

I poke him, and say, "Hey, you aren't exactly the quietest sleeper yourself."

He smiles smugly, and crosses his arms, saying, "What're you talking about? How could you hear me over _your_ monstrous bear snores? No one's quieter than me."

I snicker, and go for the kill. "Yeah, but no one drools like you, either."

"Shut up."

We continue to bicker and talk, poking fun at each other as time speeds further into the night. An unconscious tension in my chest slowly eases as we talk.

_IIIIIIIIIII_

_I can't fucking sleep, as usual._

_Sometimes I just want to strangle my anxiety for all the hours of sleep I lose to it. Izuku managed to drop like a rock a couple hours ago, and I somehow ended up staring at the ceiling for the same amount of time. I flip onto my back and slide my hand over my face. I just keep thinking about what the _hell_ might happen tomorrow. Meet his classmates... I didn't know Eraserhead was such an idiot. Introduce the kid that almost skewered his eye to a group of hero wannabes? Yeah, sure, makes sense. Why hasn't anyone ELSE ever thought of this?_

_I sit up slowly, not wanting to disturb Izuku next to me. Maybe I just need a glass of water or something to clear my head. Wait, do they have tea in the kitchen? Nah, who drinks tea at ass o'clock in the morning?_

_I silently grab his door's spare key and make my way to the door. I open it a crack. I risk a glance back at my alternate self, and let out an exasperated breath when I see him turn over into my vacated spot. Typical._

_Walking out into the hallway, I make sure to close the door as soundlessly as I can. I twirl the keycard in between my fingers as I quietly walk towards the stairs. From what I could glean today, it's probably on the ground floor. I hope I don't get too lost looking for it._

[if you can, play "Character of the Family / Family Letter" by Paniyolo for this scene. Thanks.]

_The lighting's really dim in the stairwell. I use the railing to make sure my eventual death isn't caused by something stupid... like a flight of stairs._

_Yeesh. Out of everything I've been through, imagine THAT on my tombstone._

_Once I make it to the bottom, I peek my head out the door to check if the coast is clear. The only thing illuminating the room comes from a soft yellow night-light, plugged into the wall next to the coffee maker. _

_I release another breath, and make my way to the kitchen area. I start rummaging deep into the cabinet next to it and wonder if coffee would be such a bad choice—_

_"Midoriya?"_

_FUCK. I smack my head on the roof of the cabinet and whisper another quick curse._

_I turn around, and his silhouette is all that greets me. But I know that voice. I would know that voice anywhere._

_"Ah, yeah? Is that you Sho?"_

_We stand there in silence for a few heartbeats, just waiting for the other to speak. Finally, I break it._

_"Um... want some coffee?"_

_I can hear the humor in his voice as Shoto replies, "At 2 in the morning? Really?"_

_"Just thought I'd offer," I pout. He laughs quietly, and I feel heat rush to my face. Just like _my_ Shoto's damn laugh._

_I ask, "So, what brings you to this dark abyss at ass o'clock in the morning?"_

_Shoto sits down by the counter, and props his chin on his hand. His eyes are trained on his other hand as it plays with the coaster laying on the surface. He simply says, "Can't sleep."_

_"You too, huh?" I murmur quietly. I give up on the coffee and pull out two cups. I fill them with tapwater and go to sit next to him, handing him one._

_I shrug, and say, "Well, that's okay. We can be called 'The Insomniacs'. You and I will get into all sorts of mischief, and blame it on the dog. We'll be unstoppable."_

_His brow furrows in confusion, and he asks, "You have a dog?"_

_"...We can also get a dog."_

_He snorts, and in the darkness I see him shake his head. My heart warms and I smile, too. It feels like I'm back home..._

_I look at him sideways, sipping on my cup of water. "So, how often do you usually come down here?" I ask._

_The room briefly falls into silence again, before he finally mumbles, "More often than I'd like."_

_He reminds me so much of my Shoto I want to scream. Or cry. Or both. Would it be a sin if, just for this moment, I pretend he __was__?_

_I decide to play along with my delusions, even if only temporarily. "Hey. Sho. You know, it's okay to have nightmares. To... _not_ be okay sometimes. The kinds of things we see— if it _didn't_ affect you, I'd be worried."_

_"But do you know what it's like?" His piercing gaze finds mine in the dim light, and I hide a shudder._

_"For what?"_

_Instead of elaborating, he puts his forehead in his hands, and says nothing. Frost begins to form around his cup._

_"Shoto, what's _what _like?"_

_He opens his mouth, then stops. He squeezes his eyes shut. The frost climbs higher, forming a thin sheet of ice over his drink. "Nothing. Never mind." _

_I stare into my own cup and hesitantly break the silence. __"I know what it feels like to try and be more than what you are. More than... more than what you're supposed to be. All your life, people tell you what your place is. And when you try to rise above it, to _change_, nobody sees it. Nobody," my voice cracks, "tries to help you change. And after a while, even _you_ start to believe you can't change, either."_

_I risk a glance back up, and I see him staring at me, as if finally seeing me for the first time. The frost recedes slightly._

_I clear my throat. "Did I guess it right?" He still hasn't looked away._

_"Midor... Izuku," Shoto starts, and I feel butterflies at the sound of my name on his lips. "You're the one that helped me change. Helped me become better than that bastard. And I... I want to be there when you need me, too."_

_His words strike something deep within me, and I find that we're both leaning closer to each other, drinks forgotten. His eyes are half-lidded as our faces slowly get closer. I can feel his simultaneously warm and cold breath gently caressing my cheek, and I almost give in to my desires. To have him again, even if it isn't really him._

_So fucking close to giving in._

_I mentally sigh in disappointment as I jerk my head to the side and give him a tight hug instead. He stiffens in shock at my sudden movement, but quickly relaxes and wraps his arms around me comfortingly. Apparently, even this Shoto has hugs that make me feel like my cold heart is melting in my chest, and dribbling onto the floor._

_We just stay this way for a while. For a few minutes, or hours, who cares. He's here. Even if he isn't truly here, the aching in my chest manages to ease ever so slightly._

_Finally, I pull away. Shoto frowns worriedly as his left hand reaches up to wipe a tear away from my eye, and I give him a watery smile. Before he could ask about it though, I slowly stand up and say, "Well, I guess we better get to sleep before we can't anymore."_

_He nods slowly, glancing at me with concern. I give him a more genuine smile, and wink. "Don't stay up too late, okay?"_

_I don't look back as I quickly turn the corner and run up the stairs. I don't give a fuck if I crack my head open or twist an ankle at this point. __At the top of the stairwell, I cringe and push my palms into my eyes. Helplessness wells deep within my soul, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. __Tears seep through my hands and I choke back a sob. All I wanted was a cup of water._

"And I want to be there when you need me, too." _His sincere voice echoes over and over again in my head, and once more I wonder what it would've been like if we were both just normal students. _

_I lift my head. Maybe I can talk to her __about this..._

_IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

I slowly wake up to an empty bed, and groan as I stretch. I turn over onto my side and look at my bedside clock, which reads about 9 AM. Through the haze of sleep, I vaguely remember that something important was supposed to happen today, but it was evading my memory. I squint in concentration, then sit bolt upright. I frantically look around my room for any trace of Deku, but to no avail.

He was gone.

_IIIIIIIIIIIII_

**[I know what you're thinking, I know what you're thinking— "why tf does it take you so long to update?" And the answer is exams, revisions and scrapping, and basic procrastination, I'm sorry. I was about at my wit's end because I was studying for the past 2 weeks and then BOOM Christmas break!! I also did something different with this chapter and added a suggestion for background music, because I felt like it'd fit that scene. It's on the SoundCloud app if you're reading from your phone, which has tons of free music. Well, I hope you like this little present (which'll lead to some more action in the next chapter). So...yep. Ok, merry Christmas! Until next time! :D**

**-Foopuff]**


	7. Whispers from Nowhere

_People are stupid._

_They let emotional ties and tangles keep them chained to their own delusions of self-worth... of "love." Even then the chains themselves can be used to hurt their prisoner. To be untethered is the way that one must strive to truly live._

_And yet, here I am, running after one of the only threads I have left. It took a few hours of pacing back and forth in the hallway, weighing the risks of what this one action could do to either Mom, Izuku, or... hell, anyone that I manage to bump into on the street. Finally I just said _fuck it_ and left__. I don't know all the people that Izuku does. He's probably got a bunch of hero friends that I haven't even heard of, or some archenemies that might just be waiting to spring out from behind a dumpster or from a group of particularly angsty teens. Scary shit, I tell you._

_I quietly sigh to myself, laughing a bit. I'm a fucking disgrace to both the hero world and the villain world._

...

_The security precautions at UA are still fucking insane, but they don't really do anything against people who were trying to leave._

_The cool morning air kisses my cheeks as I perch on the border wall of UA, and once again I ask if I'm allowed this. _

_Hope._

_A fucking twisted hope that'll probably bite me in the ass later, but still. Something's better than nothing, right?_

_Placing my mouth guard over my face, I leap off the wall and land heavily on the concrete sidewalk. I grimace slightly at the brief shock in my shins and ankles, but quickly shake it off and don a nonchalant air, even going as far as to stretch my arms over my head and yawn. At the same time, I discreetly scan the dark street for anything unusual. The eerie stillness of the early morning makes me look around every few seconds out of paranoia, but it might just be in my head. The sun's emerging light has begun to color the looming clouds a deep red and orange, and I take a deep breath, steeling my nerve. I'll... be back before Izuku knows I'm gone. He won't mind, right? Nah, he'll understand. Probably._

_I pull my hood up and quickly start walking, shoulders drawn in and hands in the pockets of Izuku's jacket, loosely gripping my switchblade._

_I walk like this for a while, watching as people emerge from their holes to begin another day of their repetitive lives, jostling and hurrying to nowhere important. The crowd feels stifling, and I feel like I'm struggling to breathe, yet I push on. I know that the chaos of the morning rush might also hide me from any unwanted attention._

_I stop at the crosswalk light with the others, impatiently waiting for it to turn green again. The people around me are either absorbed in their phones or staring listlessly ahead, as if sheer willpower could make the light change faster._

_Bored, I look through the crowd of faces on the other side of the street, as the cars pass by. The crowd's situation is pretty much the same..._

_Except for... her._

_Huh. This... might be an interesting trip, after all._

_WWWW_

Think, think, think, _why can't I think of anything?!_

I almost smack my head in frustration, but still nothing helpful comes to light. Why would he suddenly decide to up and leave? He didn't really strike me as the type to act without reason... did he leave any hints to where he was going last night?

I sigh, and close my eyes, once again trying to replay our conversation last night. What could he have given away yesterday..?

_"You know I haven't seen Mom in years? I miss her smile... her laugh... her worry for me, and... well, I just miss her. _

_"All I want to do is talk to Mom again, at least one more time."_

My eyes widen in immediate understanding. I grab a jacket and stumble out the door while simultaneously trying to yank my shoes on.

I know where he's going.

WWW

_This girl's been staring at me for a while now._

_Not like a random I-think-you're-cute, or he-looks-weird kind of stare... More of an I-know-you stare._

_And, to be honest, it's starting to freak me the fuck out. Her brown ponytail swishes back and forth as she fidgets from side to side, an unsettling grin on her features. _

_I feel like I've seen that grin before..._

_The light on the crosswalk turns green and the crowd surges from both sides, hurried to be on their way. I stand still, searching for the girl that disappeared into the crowd, and a creeping sensation manages to inch up my spine._

_Shaking my head, I keep my head low and start forward, tugging at my hood in paranoia._

_The gray sky foreshadows more rain to come, and I can faintly hear rumbling in the distance. I pick up my pace, almost being able to feel the intent set of eyes following my every move, always a few paces behind me. Whoever they are, they don't feel friendly._

_I abruptly turn down an alley, and hastily zig zag through the maze. I crouch behind a dumpster, and keep my breathing low. The only things I hear are the faint sounds of the bustling city and the inconsistent dripping from a nearby gutter._

_There it is._

_Slow, unhurried footsteps crunch and step in puddles in the otherwise quiet alley, and the stalker gives a high-pitched giggle. _

_"Izu-kun?" She pauses, then repeats louder, "Izu-kun? Dearest, it's not polite to hide from your friends. Especially when we're as close as we are..." I shudder at her tone, but stay silent, tightly gripping the handle of my switchblade. Why the fuck didn't I bring my gun?_

_Her steps become quieter, yet I know they are headed straight for my hiding spot. _

_"...Izu-kun."_

_Her uneven breath ghosts my ear, and I scramble away, keeping the blade in my hand behind my back. _

_The girl with the brown hair tilts her head, her ponytail swishing with the movement. She pouts, "Oh, I'm sorry, Izu-kun. I didn't mean to scare you." The corners of her lips twitch, as if she was trying to hold back a smile._

_My brow furrows in confusion. Who the hell is this girl?_

_Her grin finally breaks loose, and she looks at me with a dangerous glint in her eye. Everything about her begins to melt. Her brown ponytail gives way to blonde side buns, her golden doe eyes shift to become manic and cold. Her incisors elongate, and she grins toothily at me, not minding the white sludge that dripped off her onto the pavement. This girl couldn't be older than sixteen or seventeen, and was wearing a uniform sweater with a red tie. Her short skirt and knee-high socks add to the illusion of her innocent-schoolgirl tirade._

_My breath hitches for a split second._

_Himiko Toga._

_FUCKwhythefuckdidn'tIbringmyfuckingGUN—_

_I smile lazily underneath my mouth guard, despite the nerves churning in my gut. I stand up and casually drawl at her, "Sorry, doll, but you got the wrong guy."_

_Toga giggles again, and pulls out a syringe to point at me. "You're so funny, Izu-kun! But... I know the smell of your fear. Of you. Of your... delicious blood..." She shivers in excitement, and drool begins to dribble down the corner of her mouth. I frown in disgust at her excitement, but she continues, "Imagine how it will taste after all the pain I'll put you through?"_

_She lunges for me, and I quickly sidestep and yank her syringe arm forward, both twisting her wrist and tripping her. Toga easily flips over and lands on her feet a yard in front of me. She tuts a finger at me, and replaces her syringe in her little case. She pulls out two bloodied, serrated knives with an agitated grin. _

_"So... Izu-kun wants to fight? Then... let's fight, dearest!"_

_I quickly snap out the blade from my palm, and mirror her grin. "Honey, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."_

_An instant of hesitation in her eyes is all I need. I spring forward, first aiming for her throat. I slice at it, but she jerks away before I could make a deep enough cut. She elbows me in the stomach and swipes one of her knives at my shoulder. A searing burn makes its way through the cut, and I grit my teeth. We circle each other in the cramped alleyway, and she waves her freshly slicked knife at me. "How come you're not using your quirk, dearest?"_

_I laugh maniacally, and settle into my fighting stance. "I don't need it to deal with scum like you."_

_Her face darkens, and she leaps at me again, with both knives aiming for my face. I duck low and slam my fist into her gut, sending her staggering backwards. I hiss in pain at the deep cut in my shoulder, but try to hurriedly stand up. As I look up, a flurry of knifework, elbows, and kicks greet me._

_The fight drags on for what feels like hours._

_Throughout the whole fight, neither she nor I lost the manic gleams in our eyes. We taunt each other as our steel grazes our opponent's flesh, slowly but surely opening more and more wounds. At some point the sky begins to drizzle, but that doesn't stop us._

_...Great, so we're _both_ psychopaths. _

_We both pause, panting for breath, covered in cuts and newly forming bruises. "What the fuck do you want?" I ask bitingly._

_She glances up at me through her long eyelashes, and purrs, "I just want some blood. Your blood. Your delicious—"_

_I nod my head in impatience, and interrupt with an eye roll and a hand wave, "Yeah, yeah, 'delicious blood, can smell the fear.' Got it. But aren't you still working for someone? You haven't been a loose cannon in years."_

_She pouts, and says, "Who says I've worked for anyone but myself this whole time? Mr. Handsy won't ever understand my motives, always lost in his own ideas of vengeance. Doesn't he know that sometimes you should just enjoy the simple things in life?" With that last sentence, she slashes at my throat quick as lightning and I block her hand, simultaneously bringing the other over and slashing over her left eye. She screams, and drops her knife to try and staunch the bleeding. I kick her stooped body over forcefully, sending her flying backwards. She hits the opposite wall with a dull _thud_, and coughs into her hand. Blood covers it._

_I mentally curse when I realize I only have enough binder coils left for either her hands or her feet. Maybe I can—_

_Before I could finish forming a plan, she struggles to stand back up as purple smoke begins to envelop her. Her grin is gone. With one hand pushing into her injured eye, she snarls, "Izu-kun needs to pay for what he did to his beloved. He needs to feel the same pain she does... or maybe someone close to him needs to?" She laughs hysterically, and then the smoke obscures my view of her. I try to shout, but that seems to have been enveloped by the smoke, too. _

_It finally thins to small wisps, but I can still hear traces of her laughter in the air. A small voice whispers from nowhere,_

_"You'll regret this, Izu-kun."_

_I shiver, then begin to slowly and carefully make my way out of the alley. The aches and pains seem to grow sharper with each step, and I wonder if I can slip back into UA like this._

_I sigh. Fucking great. Whatever, I'll deal with it later._

_I turn and begin to shuffle towards hope. Towards my mom._

_WWW_

My red shoes loudly slap against the wet pavement as I haul ass to our apartment. The clouds rumble overhead, promising more rain to come.

My breathing becomes ragged as I round another corner, but I don't slow my pace, instead tapping into my quirk to increase my speed. I don't know what he's going to do with her... Is Deku unstable? What if he tries to hurt her? Thinking about this gives me an extra burst of panicked speed.

By bus, the trip from Heights Alliance to our apartment is about half an hour. I skid to a stop before the entering stairwell, and briefly glance at my watch. I made it in fourteen minutes.

I forget about worrying about my quirk as I jump up a flight at a time, leaving small dents in the floor. It still feels too slow.

Go faster.

_Faster_.

Finally, our door appears in my line of vision, and I sprint to it, legs screaming from abuse.

I grab the handle and fumble with the key in my other hand. "Mom? _Mom!_" I shout at the door, and suddenly I hear a voice from behind me, in the shadows.

"Dude, what the fuck are you_ doing_?"

I drop my keys, and Deku puts a finger to his lips. "Sh! You're gonna freak her out if she comes out here to see two of us!"

I scowl and grab the collar of his jacket, dragging him down the stairs and out of the apartment complex. Surprisingly, he doesn't resist at all. Once behind the building, I say loudly, "Is this all a joke to you?" There was a sudden flash of lightning in the distance, illuminating his tired face in full relief.

He hums absentmindedly, picking at the groove in the mouth guard around his neck. "Pretty much."

I release his collar in disgust, and say, "Unbelievable. You don't take anything I say seriously, and sneak off anywhere, anytime that you feel like it! Do you know how much that _worried_ me?!"

Deku snorts. "I didn't ask for your worry."

"I'm not worried about _you_. I'm worried about the people around you_._"

He winces slightly. "Ouch."

"And... _why are you covered in blood?!_"

He shrugs it off, and waves a hand, "Don't worry, it's not mine."

"That's EXACTLY WHY I'M WORRIED."

He huffs a breath. "You don't need to get so worked up over everything."

Frustration builds in my chest, and I say the first thing that comes to my mind.

"Well, sorry for not being an unfeeling monster like _you_ are."

Deku blinks. His frown deepens. "What the fuck did you just call me?"

"Unfeeling. _Monster_."

He squints at me in disbelief, then says with a dangerous edge to his voice, "...What makes you say that?" The tension in the air feels about ready to snap, like I'm on the edge of a _very_ steep cliff.

I scowl, and reply, "Well, how else could you have _possibly_ become a villain? I remember my childhood. A hero is all that I wanted to be! It was either that or _nothing_!"

Deku's eye twitches. "And where did that mindset get me, huh?" His voice begins to rise in volume. "Tell me that we dreamed of being anything besides a hero. Go on, tell me." He pauses and gestures at me, but I stay silent. He nods. "I wanted to be someone that everyone could look up to. Someone that _my parents_ could be proud of. Someone that could help the innocent and defenseless. Do you _actually_ think that I wanted to be a _motherfucking villain?_"

He's shouting now, and tears of frustration are beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. He clutches his injured shoulder tightly, and says through gritted teeth, "Izuku, in case you haven't noticed, _quirkless fuckers like us can't be heroes. _This path was the only thing I had left. You think I _like_ this? Having to constantly look over my shoulder, for both heroes and villains that parade around as allies? Not being able to tell my mother I love her, or _see her fucking face_, because she could be put in danger? Having my _childhood hero, All Might himself, _chasing after my sorry ass? If you think I go around randomly murdering innocents and being a lunatic for the sake of fun or some shit, then fuck off. I don't need to explain my life story to you, _especially_ when you can't have the decency to even trust me to _visit our own fucking mother!"_

A stone drops in my stomach. His shoulders are shaking, and tear droplets fall from his lowered eyes.

He shakes his head, and looks up at the sky, blinking back tears.

"Why the hell did I ever come here? Nothing's gonna change," he murmurs to himself with a dead grin, and I raise a hand to grab him, apologize, _something._ Before I could, he turns away and shrugs me off. He walks a few steps away from me, before he says over his shoulder, "And... sorry to disappoint, but I don't think I'll be meeting your friends today. Don't want them to know how much of an _unfeeling monster _I am."

He slowly walks deeper into the alley with his hands in his pockets, and then he's gone. I lower my extended hand, the hand that had done nothing to help someone in desperate need. Pressure builds behind my eyes as I try and fail to keep everything together.

Like me, the sky finally releases its tears.

WWW

[**ok, that's done. Yikes, sorry for leaving so long. I tried to make up for it with a longer chapter, and i might start updating this more. No promises, per say, but I'm really hoping I do. Hope you liked the chapter, rewrote it like five times. If you wanna see some of the [rejected] content (the stuff that didn't make the cut), let me know! I'll either pm it to ya or add it as a temporary chapter filler or something until the next chapter's posted. Btw, thanks to our guest for giving me a kick in the pants to start this up again. (Applause) Sorry it took so long haha... HpAnimeNerd, happy new year! Might, uh, be a bit late for that though...**

**as always, if you see any typos/awkward sentences, you can let me know. Or maybe leave a review; they always make my day!**

**Good night/morning/afternoon y'all. Ok, baiii**

**-Foopuff]**


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